Death of a Dream
by tribebohemian
Summary: PLEASE HEED WARNINGS! an AU of a VERY MATURE nature. warnings for gratuitus DEATH and VIOLENCE. This isn't a happy story and the descriptions ARE disturbing. This is the result of a writing challenge: Have the season one cast of the Mallrats destroyed by an opposing enemy


(author's note: this story takes place in an alternate universe and involves many new characters as well as the season one cast of the tribe. much of season two has been changed such as the mallrat additions of danni, alice, elli and may. there is no chosen and neither amber or zandra died on eagle moutain. the rest is pretty self explanatory. enjoy.)

Tribeworld is a dark and dangerous place. No one in their right mind would try and stay to make a life for themselves in the city. And judging from it's thriving population, we've all certainly gone mad. Truth is, there's no such thing as 'making a life' here. The smart ones left and went into the wilderness. The farmers stopped coming and went over the mountains. Now between us and those hills is void of life, of food. A dead landscape that must be crossed in order to leave this place. There's no 'living' to be done here... only surviving. Which is exactly how they want it.

The Algoths do not rule this city, no. They would scoff at any mention of leadership. But they are certainly responsible for the way things are. It would be unfair to claim the Algoths the inventors of violence, fear, rape, murder, sadism... though they did bring them back into style.

In order to survive here, one has to be useful and keep one's head down. I've seen the big shots who run the clubs and other outfits, go down hard. Throats sliced right in front of their patrons for the simple reason that they forgot that no one is too important not to die here.

Me, I stay low. I run messages, favors, small parcels of value. I keep my mouth shut. I don't play a hero. I don't bother dreaming of a better life. The other day I watched a young mother scream her grief to the heavens when her baby was snatched and put in a stew by some hungry sewer rats. Afterward she was dealt with in the only way useless girls are these days. But she got hers after they stupidly fell asleep. She stabbed her tormentors in the bollocks and left them screaming and bleeding to death. Next time she'll dump the baby before getting too attached. No, I don't dream of a better life. But I sometimes sit and remember one...

Most have forgotten, but I know that it wasn't always like this. Not after the adults were gone. After the time of the loneliness, when the tribes formed out of necessity. It was mad back then. Panic, fear inducing madness. The stronger, the tougher, the meaner you were, the better your chances. Until the virus came back after us. Some of the largest, meanest tribes were decimated. There was no way round it:, the human race was circling the drain. Then out of the darkness came the faintest flicker of hope.

Mallrats. The most pathetic cast of losers I ever laid eyes on. Mostly girls, kids, nerds... It was these kids who found the answer to the virus, discovered the antidote and saved what remained of the rest of us... for free. How they had made it so far, with so little survival instincts, was beyond me.

They brought change in the form of cooperation. They used the antidote as a way to stop the violence, to make the tribe leaders work together, to make the city safe again. Such a big dream for such a small group of nobodies. It was bound to die and die hard but you had to admire their optimism.

It worked... for awhile. For a time, life was quiet and productive. The streets were relatively safe to walk on. If you found trouble, you were probably looking for it and deserved whatever you got. The tribes still claimed their own sectors and when they crossed it could get ugly. The farmers came and traded in the city daily. Free enterprise was at it's highest. Life was good for the first time since the virus. Then it all went to pot because a leader's meeting and a guy named Styx.

They called him Cutthroat, for the simple reason that it was his preferred method of dealing with those who irritated him. Styx was the top assassin in a tribe called the Vipers. Whenever they had a problem with another tribe, they sent Styx and he made said problem go away in a very violent fashion. The Vipers ruled sectors 3 and 4 and it was pure suicide to go there unless you were in good with them. Even then... it was a risk.

Dagger was the leader of the Vipers and as such had been spending a great amount of time butting heads with other tribe leaders at the Mallrat meetings. The Vipers refused to curtail their lifestyle so that others could continue living their delusions of a shiny, happy world. They wanted to do as they pleased and deal with their enemies without reprimand. The Vipers would not bow to the Mallrats.

This particular day Styx was eagerly awaiting news of the latest meeting. So eagerly in fact, that his latest female plaything hadn't survived their session.

"Broke another one?"

Styx glanced up from his wardrobe to see his younger brother Zeal staring at the girl's bloodied form on the bed with an amused glint in his eyes. Styx shrugged and pulled on his choice of clothing. "She gave a good run. It's too bad though, I kinda liked her."

"He's come back." Zeal stated plainly.

"Has he." Styx's expression immediately hardened. "Maybe now he'll have decided how we're going to deal with these so called Mallrats."

Dagger sat in his room and looked up from his food expectantly as Styx entered. He'd been awaiting this confrontation. Today he'd made a major decision for his tribe and before he told the others, he knew Styx had to be somehow sold.

They regarded each other silently, one waiting, the other gathering his thoughts. Despite being the leader, Dagger was well aware that no one controlled Styx. He was a deadly loose cannon who just happened to like how the Vipers ran their outfit. He had to be kept constantly entertained in order to focus his sadistic nature. Adding to that threat was of course his brother. Everyone knew should a dispute break out between Styx and someone else, Zeal was automatically by his sibling's side, ready to kill at the drop of a hat. And while Styx seemed to gain true pleasure from the act of murder, Zeal was cold and calculating. If it was necessary to stab his best friend, he would do so without blinking and carry on his way. His lack of emotion or connection with anyone aside from his brother made Zeal very frightening indeed. It was no secret that despite their seeming comradere, the tribe feared Styx and Zeal greatly. Dagger included.

"So?"

Dagger sighed, knowing this could not be avoided. "So they offered a treaty."

The Kingdom Treaty wasn't a bad proposition. The Mallrats had finally accepted that their want for peace, love and harmony didn't work for everyone. The only thing that finally made sense was for Tribes to be given their own sectors to rule as they saw fit. There were inter cooperation rulings of course. Regarding travel, how those from one sector might get dealt with in a different sector. It required the leaders to work together so they could continue their own ways of life. The kids of the city could then choose which sector they would prefer to live in. With free passage from one to the other. It was the best deal the leaders had seen and all signed the treaty with little hesitation.

"So **you** signed this?" Styx gestured to the paper.

Dagger nodded. "Now we can do as we like."

"In our own sectors of course." Styx pointed out.

"As though that's a big compromise Styx." Dagger quirked an eyebrow. "It's not as though we had plans to go anywhere. Now they'll be no more belly aching about how we do things here. No more threats or councils of war. We can live as we see fit."

With an unreadable expression Styx nodded. "As we see fit. Yes, I see your point. It certainly is a good compromise." With that the tribe assassin excused himself, leaving Dagger free to breathe again.

That night while all began settling down, Styx gathered the few belongings he cared for and slipped into Dagger's bedroom. His leader awoke with a hunting knife to his throat, the face of his tribe mate leering down at him.

"I've thought about it." Styx explained quietly. "And I think you have it backwards Dagger. We don't need some signed treaty to live as we see fit. At least, I don't. I can do whatever I like without the Mallrats' permission." With that he violently took out Dagger's throat and relished the sounds of his gasping last breath. Taking a moment to admire his work, he then set out to find his brother.

Zeal was already asleep, nakedly sprawled between two equally nude bodies, one of each sex. Styx wasn't surprised. His brother was a beautiful boy, his sexual appetite the only thing that seemed to ever awaken him from his attitude of indifference. Pleasant dreams disrupted, Zeal sat up and groggily stared at the bloodied form of his older brother.

With an arched eyebrow, Zeal inquired calmly. "What in the bloody hell happened to you?"

Shaking his head, Styx pulled his brother out of bed. "No time. We gotta go."

On their way out, the brothers encountered opposition from their fellow tribe mates. In the ensuing conversation, Zeal learned of his leader's demise at his brother's hand. Despite the threats and bone crushing tension, Styx prevented a fight by coldly explaining that he refused to bend to the will of anyone. Let alone the happy family, adult wannabe Mallrats. He was going to make a example of them and anyone who stood in his way would meet Dagger's fate.

Two days would pass before news of the Viper's split reached the Mallrats. By then Styx had made his intentions clear with nearly every power tribe in the city. Word was that ranks had swelled. There were plenty of like minded kids out there with a thirst for chaos and violence. Like Zoot before him, Styx inspired others to push the envelope, to step over the edge and simply... jump, without fear of consequence.

Bray was devastated to hear of this break in the ranks. The Vipers had been a headache to deal with during the best of times. He and Amber had never been more relieved when the Kingdom Treaty was signed by all. Another of Lex's bright ideas. Now it looked as though all their hard work was for nothing.

"I don't see what the problem is." Amber huffed in confusion. "The Vipers signed the treaty. This guy... Cutthroat, can't just start another tribe and begin threatening everyone. We'll have a council of war with the other leaders and put a stop to him."

"It's not so simple Amber. No one is going to stand against Styx and his men. He's called Cutthroat for a reason."

"I refuse to let everything we've worked for go to dust because this Zoot wannabe has gone rogue."

Noble words but Amber really had no clue as to what hell was coming their way. After an emergency tribe leader meeting, the Mallrats learned that nearly every tribe in the city had lost members to Cutthroat's cause. Half of Ebony's militia had even deserted. Those who hadn't joined him, had no intention of standing in his way. It would seem that the Mallrats were on their own.

It would have been Market day in sector 10 if the Mallrats hadn't locked it down. Despite this, a few stall operators had shown up so a small group of Mallrats were dispatched to send them home. It was Ryan and Salene to start but they were quickly joined by Cloe, Patsy and Bob, all in need of some fresh air.

When Styx and his boys showed up in a group, thirty strong, Ryan put up a valiant fight to defend the girls. Cloe went down first, a blunt object to the head. Bob was next as he tried to protect Patsy. Both she and Salene were caught fast though they tried to run. Ryan finally took a knife in the back, the screams of the girls ringing in his ears.

Styx surveyed the weeping girls with a mocking eye before turning to the others. "To the mall. And bring the other two. Families should stay together."

Despite the numerous precautions in place: security cameras, guard posts, alarms, booby traps... the mall was hardly an impenetrable fortress. Not bothering with the sewer entrance, Styx led his crew through the car park and gained entry before the alarms had even alerted Jack in time to drop the grill.

Up until then it had been organized chaos as usual in the mall. Dal was off working on his terrarium project, determined to have his little piece of the country in their lump of concrete. Bray and Lex were drilling Jack on more security measures in order to secure the mall. Amber and Taisan were once again having a go at one another over a dispute of personal beliefs. Zandra, now seven months gone with Lex's devil offspring, sat whinging about the summer heat and how she would sell her left foot for decent climate control. Trudy, while keeping an eye on a crawling Brady, did her best to keep the Mom-to-be comfortable and in good spirits. KC was laid up with a head cold and playing "Giant Ants Attack" on Jack's '**borrowed**' game boy. Basically it was a normal day until the alarms sounded and pandemonium broke out.

It was chaos. Running, shouting, fighting... and above the noise Styx's manic laughter could be heard as he watched his boys round up the Mallrats one by one. It took several stab wounds to incapacitate Bray; a violent fall down the stairs left Lex howling in agony with a broken femur sticking out of his leg; a good knock to the head subdued Amber's struggles; Taisan fought her attacker so fiercely that she took herself and he over the upstairs balcony, both landing with sickening crunches... the others were far easier to subdue.

Stepping up to the first landing of the stairs, Styx turned slowly and surveyed the scene on both levels. Many of the Mallrats were unconscious or just coming to. The others were a mixture of sniffling, whimpering, trembling wrecks.

"Mallrats." Styx stated as though dissecting the word. "So this is where from which you choose to rule the world. A few tough guys, several sniveling girls and a bunch of kids. How pathetic that you lot have been allowed to call the shots for so long. Well, no more. I've come to put an end to your reign. You should consider yourselves lucky. Leadership is a burden and it makes hypocrites of us all. And I'm going to relieve you of this chore. In fact," Styx paused as a frightening smirk danced on his lips. "You lot will have the privilege of being an example. You're going to show this city the dangers of leadership and what happens to those who think themselves high enough to rule others. Yes..." He nodded, pleased with himself. "You lot are going to be my very own show and tell."

There's no real telling which order in which they were killed. Only rumor, anecdotes and the bodies left behind tell the story. It's believed that Cloe and Taisan never regained consciousness. Lucky them. KC's throat was cut while he was still in bed. Both Ryan and Bray were tortured by knife for hours before being left to bleed to death. The fear and panic sent Zandra into premature labor. Lex and the others were then forced to listen to her agonized screams as Styx personally cut the baby out of her. He then placed a hand over the small, though otherwise healthy infant and smothered it while Zandra weakly pleaded with him. **She** was left to succumb to her wounds and blood loss. Lex howling his wife's name in vain, echoed through the mall for an hour before he screamed himself hoarse.

For two days this went on. The Mallrats waiting in fearful agony as one by one they were dragged off to face an unknown and likely horrible, painful death. Zeal took a personal liking to Trudy and forced her into his bed with a few of his comrades. The nights were filled with the sounds of Brady's wailing for her mother who in turn was crying out for her own savior. Then came the morning Styx drowned Brady in a large basin. The sickening sounds of her cries, her struggles, then gurgles were no where near as nauseating as the silence that followed. He then returned the quiet and still baby to her catatonic mother. It's said that when the blade was finally taken to Trudy's throat, she never blinked nor flinched, her dead, cold daughter still clutched in her arms.

Amber's death was the most infamous and many of Styx's crew could be heard laughing about it after the event. When her time came, she fought tooth and nail, only pausing when a flare gun was held to her temple.

"I don't think this will be quick..." Styx leered at her. "But it will certainly be interesting." The mess that followed was too gruesome for even me to report.

I've heard that Lex was dragged upstairs to have a last look at his wife, lying dead and bloody in their bed, their gray preemie set atop her deflated stomach. By then he was burning with fever caused by the infection in his leg wound. Yet he still unleashed a worthy fight at the sight of his late family. It's rumored that three guys had to hold him down while Styx shoved a fire poker into his chest.

Jack, Dal and Patsy were dispatched quickly and without ceremony. I suppose nothing about them inspired a more ruthless killing. Again I say, lucky them. Salene was the last and I remember her death well. Oh yes, I saw it. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find a person in this city who didn't.

See, Styx liked Salene. Well, as much as he ever liked anyone I suppose. When they left the mall, she was taken with them. I believe she most likely spent that night weeping under Styx's sadistic attentions in bed. The next day the rumors of the Mallrat Massacre spread like wildfire and then the bloody crime scene was discovered. I was among the curious.

Later, Styx arranged a public announcement at their new place of residence, the Regency Condos. The city was rifled with fear and doubt. With the Mallrats ruthlessly slaughtered, what was to happen now? Would anyone be punished? Did this mean it was open season for violence and crime once more? With so many questions it's no wonder 80 percent of the population showed up for Styx's speech.

He stood on the balcony of a fourth floor unit, poor traumatized and shell shocked Salene at his side. I don't recall much of what he said, only that I knew it would change everything forever. He gleefully took full credit for the killings and said that the same would happen to **anyone** else attempting to seize control of the city. He said we were responsible for ourselves and bad karma or not, we had the right to do what ever the hell we liked.

"You're free." he finished simply. Then he kissed Salene's pallid cheek, slit her throat and tossed her over the balcony like a parting gift.

It's been years since that day. The mall has remained a locked up tomb, only visited by the brave, stupid or desperately hopeless. I think a brother tribe, the Gulls, arranged for the bodies to be buried on a farm outside the city. One of the last acts of respect ever committed in this city.

From that day on life became progressively worse, darker, more dangerous, more seedy, less worth living. Kids began to test the boundaries, and when realizing the truth in Styx's words, crossed them, then obliterated them completely. And Styx was right. In this world we are free. But I look around and often wonder... free to do what?

end


End file.
